Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-08

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Col Roger w. Hanson, of the Second Con
federate Kentucky, led the advance. But
when they reached the right it was too late.
The Federal forces were already in possession.
Hanson was a brave and accomplished Con
federate officer 1t is interesting 10 know
that he and Buckner both fighting men,
deemed the surrender Of Fort Donelson a
necessity after that. Hanson says in his re
port:
Il will take the liberty to add that upto the
time when we were ordered hack tn the
trenches our success was complete and our
escape secure.
ut is also nv opinion that the exhaustion
of the men from labor and loss of sleep. to-
gether with the decentralization caused by the
loss of our trenches on the right, rendered
the surrender unavoidable
When night closed in Wallace too had done
his work-regaincd the lost ground and
cleared the hill Just when that was done,
and he was within few hundred feet Of the
Confederate intrenchmentS, he received an
order from Grant to halt and fall back Wal
lace disobeyed the order He felt sure the
general did not know his movement had been
successful So he took his own head for it.
and bivouacked on the field Just where he
was, close 10 the CunfedcrateS, ready Ill the
morning Ia be mp and at them. But when
morning came the suns first rays shone upon
a bugler, carrying white flag from Buckner
to Grant Buckner's message proposed the
appointment of commissioners to agree upon
terms Of capitulation Grants pply has he
come historic:
mo terms will I've granted except an uncon-
diiional and immediate surrender. propose
TO move Immediately upon Your works
Buckner wrote hack The distribution of
the forces under my command, incident to
an unexpected change of commanders. AMI
the overwhelming force under your com
mand, compel me- notwithstanding the bril-
liant success of the Confederate arms yeSter-
day, to accept the ungenerUus and unchival-
rous terms which You propose.".
So on That Sunday morning, Feb Ii, 1852.
the Confederate forces surrendered to Grant,
and the story OF Fort Dunclson was told
Buckner had good reason to I've in an I'M
pleasant frame of mind that morning. At
midnight the night before a council Of war
was held between himself and Pillow and
Floyd. Buckner told them his men could not
stand more than half an hours fighting
Hunger, cold and exhaustion had done their
work at last Besides, there was no more
| ammunition, If his men tried to escape
three quarters of them must be lost to save
the Other quarter Surrender was the only
| thing.
Floyd and Pillow said they would not sur
render, they would die first Then Floyd
| handed over the supreme command of the
- r I :.
| Buclner, who surrendered The fort Pillow,
with some of his immediate personal com
F, mand, crossed the river upon Sow and
| made good his escape. Two small steamers
| from up the river came about dal light to the
| landing. They took Floyd and some of his
| Gicn up the IivCr. Forrest and his cavalry
| escaped on horseback. Tho two steamer. CON
| tanned Con dcIate re-CnforCcnents who were
| dumped out upon shCTC. Then Flovds men
| bearded the boats The cufiduc; of iiEi,..ll
| un1 Pillow was regarded as unSnldiriiv. and
! was made the bject of searching invest
| cation from the Confederate government. II:
| an official letter to the Confederate secretary
of war, Pillow thought that, considering tn
sacrifices he had mndr for the ConfeCcraty
| and "the large and dependent family Ct
| grown up AMI unmarried daughters on hi,
| hands, he had l,ecn very stability treated
| OF the forces engaged in th, great fight
| there were of ConfederatcS, all told, some
thing over 1909: of Fedcrals, 1890 The
best estimate of the Confederate killed and
wounded makes them about eco OF the
| Union forces the killed, wounded and missing
| aggregated $500.
The troops of Grants army at Donclsor
were mostly western men, many of them
| from Illinois and Indiana. One remarkable
fact in this fight is the number of men whc
| afterwarl became distinguished that took
part in it, Hundreds of men afterward
famous both in military and civil Life fought
there on those fateful days.
Immediately after the surrender Grant
| McClernand and Wallace were made major
| generals. Grants commission was dated Feb
16, and he was Immediately placed in charge
of the military district of west Tennessee.
Numbers of soldiers were buried on The
field where they fell. Some of their graves art
still to be seen. But of the earthworks and
lines Of Notifications at Donelson there /
scarcely q trace. Even SO from the hearts Of
the contestants that day have faded opt Tux
traces OF the lines which separated them
! Years ago Buckner forgeve Grant, WacI
the northern commander was buried. a yea
and o half ego, prominent among the pal
bearers, who walked with measured freud be
side. the honored deed, were to be secn- th,